Round Two Ends. Round Three-An Even Fiercer and More Spectacular Battle Among the Gods-Begins Now! (Continued)

48. The Primal Sequence

The heart of the ancient dragon Obadiah had been destroyed by the Golden Sword he worshipped.

The victor of this conflict had now been decided.

The Grand Tutor had been enchanted by Rhine and left dazed, but the Demigod within her scolded her, bringing her back to her senses.

Her gaze turned cold once more.

She watched Obadiah's body slowly evaporate amid the golden flames...

This was dangerous...

She knew all too well how dire her situation was.

The Hain Empire's rare Demigod of foreign birth, Shia Constance, had obtained the sacred relic of the ancient dragons and gained the terrifying power to slay Obadiah with a single strike.

Now,

With her arrival, the dim Golden Sword had blazed with divine light like the scorching sun.

Just as it had dispelled the crystallized Order,

The mithril imbued with Demigod authority was also completely suppressed beneath the golden flames.

And with her protecting Rhine, he could heal his injuries at any moment, elevate his puppets once more, and rejoin the battle. At that point, the Grand Tutor would have to face two terrifying foes capable of killing an ancient dragon.

And most fatal of all,

Though Obadiah was dead,

The ancient dragon barrier he had created had not immediately dissipated.

It would be several hours before this pocket world returned to the mortal realm.

And during that time,

The Grand Tutor would be unable to receive help from her sisters.

Faced with Constance and Histia attacking her with their swords, the Grand Tutor had no confidence she could escape.

If that was the case...

Analysis complete.

The Grand Tutor took a deep breath. She understood what awaited her now.

The next to die beneath the Golden Sword

Would probably be her.

The Grand Tutor prepared for battle. The Demigod within her was ready to emerge at any moment and fight her enemy to the death.

But just as the Grand Tutor's nerves were stretched taut,

Rhine said something she hadn't expected.

Rhine smiled at her. "Electra Lucia, the ancient dragon is dead. We have no reason to keep fighting. How about we leave it at that for today?"

"...?"

The Grand Tutor froze.

Did Rhine... not intend to seize this perfect opportunity to eliminate her?

Grand Tutor: "Rhine Hyun, this is the perfect chance for you to kill me."

Rhine: "I wouldn't do that."

The Grand Tutor's gaze grew even more perplexed.

"I don't think Letha and Hain are enemies."

Rhine gave her his explanation in earnest:

"When my mother was on the throne, she never showed your country any hostility. The White Tower incident was regrettable, but neither the policies my mother laid down nor the Goddess of Order's oracle ever said that Hain should treat Letha as an enemy."

"If I take the throne, I'll uphold my mother's will. And besides..."

Rhine smiled shyly, a little embarrassed as he said:

"Didn't you say you admired me? What a coincidence... I'm just like you. Though we stand on opposite sides, I've looked up to you as my idol since I was a child. I'm actually happy that I finally got to see you in person today and hear your praise."

"You..."

The Grand Tutor's gaze trembled.

That flustered feeling returned—the quickened heartbeat, the inability to think clearly.

The Grand Tutor lowered her eyes. For once, the stunning silver-haired elf showed a trace of barely perceptible bashfulness.

She didn't want anyone to see her lose her composure, so she turned her face away in embarrassment. "All right... Then I'll take it that you've kindly spared my life. I'll repay you for your generosity."

Rhine: "By the way, could I ask you for a favor?"

Grand Tutor: "...You can tell me what it is first."

"I'd like you to pass a message on to Alice for me."

Rhine smiled. "Though we've only been apart for a few days, I already miss her. No matter what kind of person she's become, I'm really looking forward to seeing her again."

The Grand Tutor shouldn't have passed on a message like that.

Rhine Hyun was a prince of the human empire.

Any feelings Alice had for him other than hatred were unnecessary and dangerous.

And yet...

For some reason, as she looked into the young human's eyes, the Grand Tutor realized she simply couldn't refuse his request...

Grand Tutor: "...Understood."

Rhine smiled gratefully. "Then that's all. My Demigod and I will tidy up the battlefield, then leave as soon as we can."

"..."

The Grand Tutor nodded silently.

It was time for her to go.

Before leaving, she glanced once more at the white-haired girl beside Rhine. After defeating Obadiah, the first thing she'd done was heal Rhine's injuries.

Obadiah's final words still rang in her ears.

Shia Constance, the mysterious Demigod whose true origins the Hain Empire had never been able to uncover.

After this battle, the Grand Tutor finally knew the truth about her origins.

Her bloodline came from the Supreme One who stood above the gods.

A sword hanging over the gods' heads, a terrifying calamity that made them tremble and lose sleep.

In the Grand Tutor's mind,

The Demigods whispered that forbidden name.

The Primal Sequence...

They had once created everything in the world,

But when they returned,

They would destroy everything in the world.

The Grand Tutor asked despondently, "We should have killed her, shouldn't we?"

"It's too late."

Contrary to legend, the Demigod's voice was calm and gentle:

"We did everything we could. Now, let's go back."

"Mm..."

The Grand Tutor closed her eyes. She merged into the mithril, then flowed into the ley lines and withdrew from the ancient dragon barrier.

And so, the battle came to an end.

As the victors, Rhine and the others now had to clean up and deal with the spoils.

The ancient dragon's lair held countless priceless treasures that would make anyone covet them.

But Rhine had easier ways to obtain everything he wanted—including the ancient dragon's corpse—than fighting an ancient dragon.

These glittering golden trinkets were merely unnecessary extras.

Just as he'd promised Hela earlier,

Rhine only wanted two things from this battle.

One was the nameless Golden Sword for Shia Constance. The other... he'd mention later.

Rhine felt exhausted.

Though Constance had healed his injuries, his mental fatigue urgently needed relief.

Besides, it would still take some time for the ancient dragon barrier to dissipate.

"I'll take a nap first..."

49. Goodbye, My Love

"Shia Constance..."

"Your Majesty."

"I feel like I'm having trouble breathing..."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Am I imagining things? This thing sticking out of my chest... is it your sword?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"...Why?"

"I don't expect you to forgive me, Your Majesty, but I love you."

"I was reborn... more than nine hundred times. I defeated countless enemies, and I was finally about to succeed. There was only one last step... and then you stabbed me to death... Tell me, is this how you love me?"

"Yes."

"...Why?!"

"I couldn't watch you sacrifice yourself to save us."

"So you killed me?"

"But you'll be reborn."

"..."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. You still have another chance. Everything here will be destroyed, but you'll go to the next world. There, you'll meet another me. I only want you to know that no matter how many times we live and die, my love for you will never change."

"Constance... You've disappointed me beyond words..."

"You have every right to be angry, Your Majesty."

"You're just as foolish as the rest of them..."

"I won't argue with you."

"I finally see the truth... You Imperial Guards are all traitors!"

"Goodbye, Rhine, my love..."

Rhine had a dream. In it, he saw his past self die and be reborn again and again—furious, broken, driven mad, despairing, and finally giving in, stripped of all feeling. Over the long passage of time, every joy and sorrow had lost its meaning, until... he found himself once again at that world's end, which had made his heart ache in the most literal sense.